Book Review
Psychology 459
Instructor Dr. James
By Harvey Nakamoto Jr.
The book The Safety of Elderly Drivers written by J. Peter Rothe, addresses a topic extremely relevant to public concern today, the driving abilities of the “elderly”. While this book may appear superficially to pertain only to “elderly drivers” if we consider that, “By 2030, there will be about 70 million older persons, more than twice their number in 1997” and that we will be sharing the roads with the approximately three fourths of these “older persons” who will be driving, it is obvious that this message that is dearly needed by our society as a whole today (Administration on Aging). While Rothe could have done a few things to improve the quality of his book, I must at admit, I know of no other book to date that takes a more comprehensive look at statistics related to elderly drivers and the feelings of the elderly drivers themselves.
The underlying problem as Rothe sees it is that aging brings inevitable decrements in physiological health. As a result the more specific problem of elderly driving difficulties arises. Rothe’s major suggestions to solve this problem are three-part. First he recommends education directed towards traffic safety for the elderly, in the form of both classes and media public service announcements (interestingly though he does not state outright whether this class should be mandatory or optional) (Rothe, 342). Secondly he suggests mandatory reexamination “at regular time intervals from about fifty-five onwards” (apparently denying the view that using age as a sole criterion for retesting is discriminatory) (Rothe, 343). As a last resort Rothe suggests the removal of driving privileges and the institution of “volunteer chauffeur programs so the elderly can engage in activities free of transportation worries” (Rothe, 344).
While these theories may be overly simplistic and to a large degree discriminatory towards the elderly, there may be whether intentional or unintentional (for lack of a better analogy) a “method to his madness”.
The main topics that Rothe discusses in his book The Safety of Elderly Drivers are, the overly optimistic self-perception of the elderly, the changing abilities of the elderly, and the stigma of the elderly as a group.
Rothe spends a great deal of time discussing the changing abilities of elderly drivers. He insists that aging brings inevitable decrements in physiological function but also implies that these decrements can be to a degree compensated for. He addresses the work of Labouvie-Vief and claims that, “In such a light, aging may not reflect the loss of abilities, but rather the gain of other equally desirable abilities” (Rothe, 14).
Rothe implies on many occasions that one of the major problems with elderly drivers is that they are perhaps overly optimistic, and that this may be a major contributor to their higher rates of accidents. He spends a great deal of time through several chapters discussing the claimed positive self-perception of the elderly, then actual statistics related to this view which seem to contradict this positive image, and then implies that this perhaps this overly optimistic or confident self-perception may contribute to the problem. Perhaps the most condensed example (in that all three of these elements fall into a couple of sentences) though not the best can be found in his claim that, “many of the elderly drivers become accident victims during nonpreferred driving times (the statistic). Perhaps their perceptions of competency (overly optimistic view), combined with their willingness to overlook uncomfortable driving scenarios for the sake of sociality or preservation of self-image (overly optimistic view), are constructs of reality that give meaning to the statistics (implication that excessive optimism contributes to accident)” (Rothe, 197). [similarly condensed view on p. 301]
Rothe also spends a great deal of time discussing the stigma attached to elderly drivers. He notes the claims of the elderly that, “the elderly person is judged according to the stigma of age” and that “blame or fault in an accident is attributed to age” (Rothe, 232). He also implies that these stigmas may be unfair because, “The elderly drivers as a generation are judged by the standards and interests of a younger drivers – another generation” (Rothe, 168). He does not, however, pointedly discuss the implications of this stigmatism of the elderly aside from saying that, “A driver’s self-concept is shaped in part by how he of she is evaluated by others,” a claim which seems, at least superficially, to contradict his prior implication that the elderly are over confident.
The role of the media in our perceptions of elderly drivers
The media plays a strong role in the perceptions we have of elderly drivers and the perceptions the elderly themselves. The media is filled with scenes that imply that the elderly are incompetent and dangerous drivers. One of many articles I found on the internet and taken from the Honolulu Advertiser entitled “Four tourists in luxury car survive plunge in Maui harbor” almost comically depicts a scenario in which “77 year old Frank Jennings pulled up to the water’s edge” and “thought he was applying the breaks but stepped on the accelerator instead” and consequently ended up at the bottom of a small boat harbor in Maui (Four Tourists in Luxury Car Survive Plunge in Maui Harbor). Another article I found, again taken from the Honolulu Advertiser, entitled “Attorney seeks more stringent driving tests for elderly” similarly addresses the abilities of the elderly. While the attorney claims not to be “picking on the elderly” he in the same breath suggests that at “drivers 72 and older” need to be tested every two years not only on vision as is currently the case but also “on their driving skills to determine their physical dexterity and reaction time” (Attorney Seeks More Stringent Driving Tests for the Elderly).
Rothe insists that the elderly view themselves overly optimistically and implies (in the last paragraph of the section entitled education on page 342) that this is one of the reasons for their inferior performance and should thus be addressed to help them “become more aware of themselves” (Rothe, 342). According to the Lake Werblington Effect, which has proved quite influential in my background as a psych major, people in generally rate themselves as, “above average” (Baumeister, 53). In fact in one study of self-reported driving ability conducted by Svenson in 1981, “90 percent of the people rated themselves as being above average: (Baumeister, 53). In light of this comparison, the statistic provided by Rothe, which claims that 41.4% of drivers aged 55 and up reported “better than average” driving ability is reasonable and by no means “overly optimistic” (Rothe, 383 table B-30). Taylor and Brown claim that, “happy and healthy people see the world in those positive terms” (Baumeister, 54).
The elderly view themselves less positively than do younger people, probably in part because of the negative view of aging portrayed by the media and society in general. Rothe implies supports of my claim by insisting that, “A drivers self-concept is shaped in part by how he or she is evaluated by others,” and then later claiming that, “On a societal basis, they are generalized as a problem group” (Rothe, 167; 232). One elderly driver reported that, “They [younger drivers] consider us slow and inefficient. And I think they’re quite right. As we get older we get to be less efficient drivers” (Rothe, 168).
I would propose that it is more likely that the comparatively negative view of the elderly contributes to their inferior performance rather then an overly optimistic view suggested by Rothe. Rothe admits that, “you are the kind of driver you feel you are” (Rothe, 165). If this is the case, based on Rothe’s claim of the overly optimistic elderly driver, this should facilitate better driving, but the statistics on elderly driving prove that this is not the case.
In light of this it is more likely that the comparatively negative view of the elderly puts them into a negative zone of the emotional spin cycle and hinders their driving ability. They feel negatively about their driving performance, think negatively about it, and as a result drive less well then they are able. “Veteran police traffic and patrol officers” perhaps inadvertently provide evidence of this, they claim, “that older drivers are not reckless but tend to be hazardous because of the reaction of other motorists to their slow and cautious driving” (Attorney Seeks More Stringent Driving Tests for the Elderly. Implicit in this statement is that negative feelings about their driving cause them to think that they need to compensate by driving more slowly and cautiously, and as a result are less predictable and consequently present more of a hazard.
Elderly driving affects us all
Even here in Hawaii where we have a relatively low population of elderly, “Fifty-three thousand of Hawaii’s 769,000 licensed drivers are 72 years or older” (Attorney Seeks More Stringent Driving Tests for the Elderly). As a result, this book is important to, and thus should be read by everyone in our society today.
It is immediately relevant to children in that it if nothing else can teach them the strengths and weaknesses of elderly drivers and how best to react if they see an elderly driver behind the wheel. Noting the inability of many drivers to fully turn their necks, this book can teach children to avoid the blind spots of cars, in particular cars driven by the elderly that may for example be pulling out of a stall in a parking lot. Although admittedly this book may be somewhat above the reading level of most young children, I think it would be helpful for teachers of young and old children alike to read the book and educate their students on the important precepts that affect us all.
For young adults it is perhaps doubly important in that not only will it help us to best accommodate the weaknesses of elderly drivers, if read with an open mind it allows us to see that the inevitable weaknesses that aging brings can in many instances be compensated for by the accompanying strengths. This new mind set will help us to be less discriminatory towards elderly and perhaps more likely to ask the elderly for their help in various matters thereby incorporating the often overlooked strengths of the elderly into our lives. Furthermore it is important for all of us to remember that all but the unfortunate few of us who meet with tragedy will some day be the elderly. It is therefore necessary to be aware of the common deficits that aging brings, and the best way we can slow and or accommodate for these deficits.
It is necessary for all people to understand why the elderly behave the way they do in order to be able to better predict their subsequent behaviors and provide the best means of minimizing the risks of the elderly to themselves and others. After all if you accept my prior claim that society’s negative view of the elderly plays a major role in their inferior performance, the least we could do is try to aid in their compensation.
The greatest strengths and what I enjoyed most about this book was also unfortunately what I liked least about the book and what I felt to be it’s greatest weakness.
The major weakness of Rothe’s book was that he did not offer enough of his own theories about the possible implications tied to his statistical findings and the theories that he did provide were often ambiguously implied rather than emphatically stated. The only theories that he did seem to take relatively strong stands on were those based on the work of other researchers (particularly in chapter one and two), and even in these he seemed to take the attitude that assuming these findings are correct it implies this. The statistics provided by this book were for the most part quite elementary. Had he cross-tabbed more of his findings, rather than just reporting the results of a survey, he would have been able to provide much more compelling theories. Though I acknowledge that there is no such thing as absolute certainty especially in a field of study that relies so much on the honesty of respondents, proposing theories, even incorrect theories, is always beneficial. At the very least theories provoke thought, and at best (if convincing enough) will stimulate motivation to conduct further studies as to the likelihood of a particular theory being correct.
His lack of solidarity in and proof for many of his claims and in many instances his lack of any claim at all, however, was also the greatest strength of this book. The fact that in many cases he just reported findings of surveys and did not provide convincing theories as to why it was the case forced me to question for myself why it was so and provided the grounds for much greater thought and theory formulation about elderly driving. Because he did not provide very convincing statistics, the range of possible theories were limitless. In other words, in not providing advanced statistics that would allow him to make more convincing and confident theories he succeeded in stimulating intensive thought that would perhaps be less facilitated if he had.
In retrospect I wondered if this was an intentional element of his study. Rather than attempting to provide answers himself, perhaps his actual goal was to provoke thought and stimulate further studies that would ultimately lead others to find answers. His lack of advanced statistics allowed him to play both sides of the fence and stimulate a wider range of thought. Truly it would be impossible for any one person to compile enough compelling studies on elderly driving that would be capable of explaining and predicting the full range of behaviors available to such a heterogeneous group. Furthermore the nature of society and the world, which involves change, necessitates a continuing study on this and all subjects of importance. Perhaps he realized this and decided to begin a legacy of thought about the subject. This would also explain his lack of detailed statistics. The probable criticisms that these incomplete and elementary statistics are likely to draw then provokes the question, if you don’t like it why don’t you make something better? Indeed the very question I asked myself. Rothe made a very noble attempt to address a not often enough considered topic and laid the ground-works for subsequent studies.
The most important thing I learned from this book (although not directly from this book but rather as a result of questions it spurred that lead me to research other topics) is an appreciation for aging. This newfound appreciation has drastically improved my view of aging. Though I have always realized the importance of the experience of the elderly, for the first time I perceive aging as an event that I can in some ways look forward to. A great example of the anticipation of aging is beautifully portrayed in Robert Browning’s Rabbi Ben Ezra, which goes as follows:
“Grow old along with me!
The Best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in this hand
Who saith ‘A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God; see all not be afraid’”
(Rothe, 43)
Rothe is like the Sigmund Freud of Elderly Driving, though his studies may be looked on as somewhat incomplete, we must acknowledge that his studies if nothing else provoked thought about a subject not often enough considered. Though his overly conservative view is opposite from the very liberal theories proposed by Sigumand Freud (especially considering that Freud wrote during the Victorian Era a time when people were extremely sexually repressed) the theories of each served the same purpose, to stimulate further research. While Rothe could have been less conservative in his approach the ideas that he did express pointedly were for the most part indisputable and objectively rather than subjectively based. This quality I suppose can further facilitate the acceptance of his studies by appealing to non-social scientists whose work are limited to the objective. Which is necessarily a good thing because the complexity and changeability of this subject matter requires as many researchers as possible to provide a full understanding of, The Safety of Elderly Drivers.
References
Web Sites
Citation: "Administration on Aging." Internet. 10 Sep. 2001. Available: http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/factsheets/transportation.html
Citation: "Four Tourists in Luxury Car Survive Plunge in Maui Harbor." Internet. 2 Oct. 2001. Available: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2001/Jan/31/131localnews2.html
Citation: "Attorney seeks more stringent driving tests for the elderly." Internet. 29 Oct. 2001. Available: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/May/08/ln/ln25a.html
Texts
Baumeister, Roy F. The Social Dimensions of Sex. Allan & Bacon A Person Education Company. 2001
Rothe, J. Peter. The Safety of Elderly Drivers. Transaction Publishers. 1990
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